


Like Mother, Like Daughter

by magebae



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Byleth is not putting up with Rhea's shadiness, F/F, F/M, Rhea Has Many Many Regrets, Rhea being shady, Spoilers, child birth, pregnancy is here but its not talked about a lot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-07
Updated: 2019-08-07
Packaged: 2020-08-11 09:44:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,024
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20151601
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/magebae/pseuds/magebae
Summary: Rhea and her experiences with two different births. Slight Rhea/Catherine and F!Byleth/Lorenz (dont judge me im soft for their paired ending.)Spoilers for the Golden Deer route and Byleth’s Backstory





	Like Mother, Like Daughter

When she was born, she had no heartbeat. She was dead, but living. The mother wasn’t as “lucky,” and perished in the night, only having minutes with her unfortunate child. And yet, those minutes were all she needed if she had to go then and there. 

Rhea would never forget that night. That she stood there and watched the woman she herself helped to create, helped to doom, die. Watched as she begged Rhea to save the baby, who was faring no better than the mother. And Rhea did it, not only out of respect for the woman she had once hoped would be the next progenitor god, but out of a greedful wish that maybe the baby would bring back her mother. 

The mother’s name was Ariel. When she was born, Rhea tried everything she could to make sure that her plans would not fail this time. So many attempts, and yet Ariel proved to be another failure. Looking back, Rhea regretted the ways she took it out on the woman. She had been jaded by then, guilting Ariel to the point where the two had grown distant. Still, Rhea had let Ariel stay at the monastery as a nun. In a way, Ariel was thankful that she hadn’t been completely abandoned, but her heart was hurt from those years of shame and hate. 

For most of her life, she was reclusive and distrusted others as a result. It wasn’t until she met Jeralt that she became more open to the world. She had truly began to love the world and appreciate all it had to give. Rhea could feel Ariel’s growing need to leave the monastery, and hadn’t cared. Jeralt and Ariel hadn’t been careful, and a child was conceived between the two of them. And yet, Ariel was still happy to have a child of her own. That was when Ariel had approached Rhea about leaving, but this new child could be the success Rhea was looking for. So, Rhea convinced the couple to stay at the monastery till the child was born. Part of her knew it was wrong, but by that point she had become so desperate that she was willing to do anything.

The pregnancy was rough. Rhea could see how drained Ariel became over time. She had very little energy toward the end, and looked sick. Not many thought she would survive the birth, and yet she and Jeralt still talked about their plans for the future. While Rhea felt sorry for the woman, she was more focused on the child’s potential. As the day of birth came closer, Rhea found herself becoming more hopeful that this time things would work out. That her mother would come back and end her despair. Even if it meant ripping the child away from it’s own mother, Rhea went forward with her plan. 

When the birth actually began, Ariel appeared panicked. Rhea had told Jeralt to stay outside, and though he was very discontent with it, he still complied. Ariel spent her last hours in pain, suffering so that she could finally meet the baby she already loved. The baby she sang to whenever she could, who she promised to give the world to. Even till the end she believed she’d be able to live a full life with her child. But Rhea knew that would never be the case. And it wasn’t until Ariel held her child in her arms, her silent, almost dead child, that she realized that she too was nearing her end. And in those last minutes, Ariel asked Rhea to do something Rhea thought the woman would oppose. 

“Save this child’s life no matter what.”

Ariel didn’t specify what she meant, but Rhea knew. Despite her hopefulness, Ariel wasn’t naive. She was giving Rhea permission to put Sothis’ heart in the baby. Even if it meant she would die. Rhea didn’t know how to respond. All this time, she had been so guilty, so uncaring for Ariel. And here Ariel was, making such a selfless decision. It put Rhea to shame, even made her feel hatred toward herself for how she had become during Ariel’s pregnancy. 

“… The baby is a girl…I’ll have to do it soon… I’m sorry it has to be this way.” 

The other didn’t respond. Ariel had feared death, had cried and cried to Jeralt behind closed doors about the possibility, but at that moment, all she could feel was peace. A darker side of her deep down was happy to have been done with this miserable life, even if she had found happiness with Jeralt. Even if she had lived, she knew the shadow of Sothis would always be cast on her, that she could never run away from Rhea. So with the few minutes she had left, she hugged her baby. She sang a song a nun had taught her, and cradled the almost dead baby to her chest. Despite trying not to, she imagined a better future, one where the three could be a family, far away from crests and gods. Ariel cried for her lost future, shedding tears the infant may never be able to. 

“Byleth. I want to name her Byleth.… My darling Byleth, I’m sorry I won’t be with you much longer. I only hope… you can one day smile, and be free. You and Jeralt… smile, be happy.”

Rhea had to intervene. Despite the scene in front of her, Rhea’s selfishness took over. It was time.

“… Mother…it’s time for us to be together again.”

~30 years later~

The deja vu that hit Rhea was unpleasant to remember. Many years had passed and the woman was still forced to face her guilt everyday of her life. But the past few months had been exceedingly rough for the aged woman. 

After the last battle with Nemesis, she had retired to the Red Canyon with Catherine. They had started a new, simpler life together, Rhea in contemplation and self punishment, and Catherine in devotion. Rhea was not sure what to make of their relationship which had certainly become romantic, but was still awkward. The two had been content to live their lives away from society, Rhea being there for Catherine as the mortal aged. But still, Rhea found herself unable to truly find peace, knowing what she had become. 

It was five years after the battle with Nemesis that Byleth visited the two at the Red Canyon. The child- no, woman- had become a proud, skilled leader of the people. Ruling over the new dawn of Fodlan, she brought about more equality and prosperity with the help of her allies. Though she held the title of Queen, it was thanks to her past students that she was able to mend some of the scars of war. With those years, she had become hardened in appearance. She no longer cared for the length of her hair, letting it grow out. A crown lay upon her head, similar in style to Sothis’ yet different enough to separate herself from the god. While she usually wore clothing more fitting of her new status, she had dressed simple for the long trip to the Red Canyon.

“We need to talk,” is all Byleth said at first, no kind of hello or warmness to the former archbishop. 

“… Of course,” was all Rhea could respond with. 

“My husband and I want to have a baby… But I’m afraid I might run into some complications,”

“… I see.” It was rare to see Byleth’s neutral face crack, but now, she showed her genuine concern. Rhea felt uncomfortable being face to face with the other again. She was drowned in guilt once more, not just from seeing Byleth, but from her talks of pregnancy. It was like she was being brought back to that moment 30 years ago. Along with that, she had not ending things on the best of terms with Byleth five years ago. She understood why, Byleth’s anger at what she’d done was justifiable. When the fighting had finished, Byleth had been able to take in all that Rhea had said, and had responded in rage. She could finally let out her aggressions on Rhea, letting her know how badly she had hurt Byleth’s father with what she did. She hadn’t even been at the wedding between Byleth and… and Lorenz.

Rhea hadn’t expected it either. She had honestly thought Byleth would end up with Claude considering how close the two were. Even Seteth had agreed with her years ago when they talked about Byleth and the lord. And yet, after the war she announced plans to be with Lorenz. It was just another thing that made Rhea realize that she truly didn’t know Byleth. The couple had walked out of the Goddess Tower, hand in hand, looking overjoyed one day after the war had ended. From what Rhea heard, their love only grew stronger over the years, the Lord of Roses helping his wife to fairly rule over the people and help bring about a reformation in the land. 

“I will admit, I do not know what would happen for sure. You are the first of your kind. However, I can still help you during your pregnancy. I am afraid my notes from back then were destroyed, but… I can still remember some of what I learned, and I can use it to help you.” 

Byleth only nodded.

~Two Years Later~

When he was born, he had a heart beat. A healthy baby boy. Byleth laid on the bed, crying tears of joy as she looked upon her son. 

Byleth’s pregnancy had been very different from Ariel’s. The woman faced some complications, but hadn’t grown sick and weak. Rhea had arrived with Catherine to the queen’s home around seven months ago to help the Queen. Her husband had urged Byleth to rest, but the Queen still tried to be involved in government affairs. While Lorenz had taken on a lot of her work, Byleth found herself talking more with Rhea and the older woman helped her. They would never be friends, but the two reached an understanding of each other. And unlike with Ariel, Rhea had not been invasive with her aid. Both had worked together and learned how to increase the chances of mother and child surviving. 

And so, when Byleth went into labor, Rhea was genuinely helping Byleth not for her own selfish reasons, but because she wanted to do it right this time. She knew nothing could make up for the past, but at least she could be a different person now. It helped her see the beauty she had ignored back then. The birth itself was hard on Byleth. Her screams echoed throughout the building. Rhea knew Lorenz wanted to be in the room, but it was too risky. Byleth gripped anything she could, creating rips in the blankets and pillows. Byleth pushed and cried until finally, a new cry broke out into the room. It was almost shocking to Rhea. It was beautiful. 

Rhea cleaned the baby, taking in all of his features. There was a dusting of purple hair on the infant’s head. She could see that the boy would look more like his father just from the features he possessed. Despite this, she was also aware of the baby’s slightly pointed ears. Clearly, the child’s blood had been affected by the heart of Sothis. It would make things harder for the boy, but Rhea knew the family would overcome it. She couldn’t help but smile at the child as she finished up and brought him back to his mother. 

“It’s a boy. He’s such a beautiful child.”

Rhea watched Byleth smile and reach for her baby. While Byleth may never be able to express the full extent of human emotion, she had become more expressive over the years. She could smile and be happy. This feeling of relief has rarely ever overcome Rhea like this. 

“Let everyone in,” Byleth managed to get out between deep breaths.

“Of course… Have you picked a name yet?” Rhea asked.

“Jeralt.”

Rhea smiled and walked to the door.

**Author's Note:**

> Lorenz Jr. is canon and he's my baby.


End file.
